As the railroads and the highways shaped the American West in the past centuries, a new electrical generating(發(fā)電)and transmission (輸送) system for the 21st century will leave a lasting mark on the West, for better or worse. Much of the real significance of railroads and highways is not in their direct physical effect on the scenery, but in the ways that they affect the surrounding community. The same is true of big solar plants and the power lines that will be laid down to move electricity around.

The 19 th century saw land grants(政府撥地) offered to railroad companies to build the transcontinental railroads, leaving public land in between privately owned land. In much of the West, some of the railroad sections were developed while others remained undeveloped, and in both cases the landownership has presented unique challenges to land management. With the completion of the interstate highway system, many of the small towns, which sprang up as railway stops and developed well, have lost their lifeblood and died.

Big solar plants and their power lines will also have effects far beyond their direct footprint in the West. This is not an argument against building them. We need alternative energy badly, and to really take advantage of it we need to be able to move electricity around far more readily than we can now.

So trade-offs will have to be made. Some scenic spots will be sacrificed. Some species(物種) will be forced to move, or will be carefully moved to special accommodations. Deals will be struck to reduce the immediate effects.

The lasting effects of these trade-offs are another matter. The 21st century development of the American West as an ideal place for alternative energy is going to throw off a lot of power and money in the region. There are chances for that power and money to do a lot of good. But it is just as likely that they will be spent wastefully and will leave new problems behind, just like the railroads and the highways.

The money set aside in negotiated trade-offs and the institutions that control it will shape the West far beyond the immediate footprint of power plants and transmission lines. So let’s remember the effects of the railroads and the highways as we construct these new power plants in the West.

1.What was the problem caused by the construction of the railways?

A．Small towns along the railways became abandoned.

B．Land in the West was hard to manage.

C．Some railroad stops remained underused.

D．Land grants went into private hands.

2.What is the major concern in the development of alternative energy according to the last two paragraphs?

A．The use of money and power.

B．The transmission of power.

C．The conservation of solar energy.

D．The selection of an ideal place.

3.What is the author’s attitude towards building solar plants?

A．Disapproving.      B．Approving.         C．Doubtful.          D．Cautious.

4.Which is the best title for the passage?

A．How the Railways Have Affected the West

B．How the Effects of Power Plants Can Be Reduced

C．How Solar Energy Could Reshape the West

D．How the Problems of the Highways Have Been Settled

 

【答案】

1.B

2.A

3.D

4.C

【解析】

試題分析：主要講述的就是新型的太陽能裝置是否能重新塑造出西部的新的發(fā)展，人們對(duì)于新型的能源很渴望，但是也有很多的擔(dān)心。

1.B 細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)第二段3,4,5行In much of the West, some of the railroad sections were developed while others remained undeveloped, and in both cases the landownership has presented unique challenges to land management.說明西部的土地難以管理是重要的原因，故B正確。

2.A 細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)There are chances for that power and money to do a lot of good. But it is just as likely that they will be spent wastefully and will leave new problems behind,說明人們很擔(dān)心錢沒有被正確第使用，而是被浪費(fèi)掉了，故A正確。

3.D 推理題。根據(jù)文章最后兩段可知，雖然這樣做有很多的好處，但是人們?nèi)匀粨?dān)心投資的錢和精力會(huì)不會(huì)被浪費(fèi)掉，所以態(tài)度很謹(jǐn)慎。故D項(xiàng)正確。

4.C 主旨大意題。本題主要講述的就是新型的太陽能裝置是否能重新塑造出西部的新的發(fā)展，人們對(duì)于新型的能源很渴望，但是也有很多的擔(dān)心。故C項(xiàng)符合文章要求。

考點(diǎn)：考查經(jīng)濟(jì)類短文閱讀

點(diǎn)評(píng)：經(jīng)濟(jì)類短文是考生的難度，此類文章的最大的障礙是詞匯以及考生對(duì)閱讀內(nèi)容的不熟悉，需要考生在閱讀的時(shí)候有足夠的耐心。要養(yǎng)成在上下文串聯(lián)中猜測(cè)詞義的能力，根據(jù)上下文中出現(xiàn)的同義詞，近義詞，反義詞，以及詞義的解釋來理解生詞。同時(shí)要抓住文章的中心，不要受其他信息的影響。要根據(jù)題目及選項(xiàng)以及文章的上下文串聯(lián)合理的判斷推理。

 

練習(xí)冊(cè)系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目：高中英語 來源：皇冠優(yōu)化名題　高中英語 題型：050

　　Throughout history soldiers have fought bloody battles inorder to control the high ground．There is no doubt that thisis a tactical（戰(zhàn)術(shù)的）necessity．Standing abouve your enemy isan advantage that often leads to vietory．

　　Nowadays，high ground does not just mean hill tops．Italso means space,which has become an increasingly importantpart of military strategy（軍事戰(zhàn)略）．

　　With its more advanced satellite technologies,America isthe major power in space．And now the US Air Force has putinto service a new weapon designed to jam enemy satellite communications．It is an important step toward US control of space．

　　The so-called Counter Communications System（反衛(wèi)星通信系統(tǒng)）was declared operational on November 1．The ground-based system uses electromagnetic radio frequencites（無線電磁波）to stop enemy satellites working on a shortterm basis．

　　“A short-term effect ensures that during the time of need,the enemy's space-based capability（能力）is reduced,”said a US military official．“Following the time of need，their capabilities can return to its original state．”

　　The system is made up of an antenna（天線）,transmitters（發(fā)射機(jī)）and receivers and can be easily transported around in a vehicle．

　　To control space was one of four aims of a national space policy started by former president Bill Clinton in 1996．The goal is to make sure US forces can rely on space-based services and to deny an enemy any similar benefits．

　　The US military has experimented with several“anti-sat-ellie”weapons,including lasers,to destroy or damageenemy units．

　　Theresa Hitchens,vice president of the Centre for Defence Information in Washington,welcomed the new systemas long as it does not create rubbish that could threaten globaluse of space．She believed it should not destroy satellties．only stop them working for a while．

　　“Unfortunately，it seems we are not going to limit ourgoal for‘space control’to non-violent systems,”she said，rai sing the danger of a space arms race．

　　To change the balance of power in space the EU and China are working together on the Galieo project．By 2008 the system will be in place as an alternative to the Americans'global positioning service．

(1)

What's the significance（意義）of the Counter Com-munications System to the US?

[　　]

A．

It can help avoid bloody battles．

B．

It can bring the US closer to its goal for“space control”．

C．

It can ensure the US forces to depend on space based services．

D．

It can destroy enemy equipment．

(2)

How does the new system work?It affects the enemy by．

[　　]

A．

being transported around easily in a Vehicle

B．

controlling the high ground

C．

damaging them

D．

blocking their satellite communications

(3)

One thing that seemed to worry Theresa Hitchens is that the new weapon________．

[　　]

A．

could increase the danger of a space arms race

B．

is not effective enough

C．

is not threatening enough

D．

might produce dangerous waste

(4)

What can we infer from the passage________

[　　]

A．

New space weapons may be on the way．

B．

The US military have never stopped experimenting with anti-satellite weapons．

C．

The Galileo Project，when in effect，can match the Counter Communications System in power．

D．

In future wars，space battles will decide human's fate（命運(yùn)）．

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：同步題 題型：閱讀理解

閱讀理解。
     Question:What is more astonishing than a 60-ton whale on a
flatbed truck being driven down the street?
     Answer:A 60-ton whale on a flatbed truck exploding and rai-
ning blubber( fat of whales) all over the sidewalk.
    That's what happened in Taiwan recently,when a dead sperm
whale being shipped to the Halobios Research Centre for an autopsy
(尸體解剖) developed an extremely bad case of gas and blew up
before it reached its destination.
     The whale was found alive on a Taiwan beach last weekend,
and died shortly after it was discovered. Since the 56-foot whale was
the largest whale ever beached on Taiwan's shores,scientists wanted
to study it and perform an autopsy for educational purpose.
      Obviously,too much time passed between when the animal died
and the time it was set to be moved to the autopsy location,because
it had already started to go bad. When things rot,they give off gases
as a by-product. In the whale's case,the gases were trapped in its
belly. The pressure inside the rotting creature grew so much that it
popped like an over-filled balloon. Unfortunately,it was on a truck in
the middle of the city of Taiwan at the time ;cars and shops lining the
street were covered with whale bits and juices,much to their owners'
discouragement.
      According to news reports,traffic was tied up for hours while of
ficials tried to clean up the streets.
     Newspaper editors worldwide were probably smiling to them-
selves,since they had a ready-made headline; several reports about
the incident were titled " There  She  Blows ! " after the famous line
from the book Moby Dick.
1. The purpose of the question at the beginning of this news report  is to ___.
A. explain the reason
B. sell newspapers
C. attract readers
D. give an immediate answer
2. The whale's explosion was the result of___．     
A. pressure from gases building up in the creature as it began to rot
B. the long transport of the creature from the beach to the centre
C. the extremely busy traffic in the streets it passed by
D. the quick process of rotting of the animal
3. What is the correct order of the incidents?
        a. The whale was set to a flatbed truck.
        b. The whale was discovered.
        c. The whale exploded.
        d. The whale died.   
A. b;c;a;d                        
B. d;c;b;a
C. b;d;a;c                        
D. d;b;a;c
4. What do we know from the last paragraph?
A. Some newspaper editors were laughed at.
B. Moby Dick is the name of a woman writer.
C. All the newspapers reported the story under the same title.
D. The title" There She Blows ! " is taken from the book MobyDick.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：同步題 題型：閱讀理解

閱讀理解。
     A survey was conducted in Shanghai where interviewees were asked if they wanted to be a factory worker. One percent of all peo ple interviewed said: "YES," Wang Hongjun, a technician, said, rai sing his voice for
impressive effect." But I can tell you, only a small part of that I percent are telling the truth."
     I've met colorful people like Wang all over China. They are cynical (玩世不恭的 ) yet warmhearted, plain
spoken but smart. And many of them are confined (局限于) to work in factories.
     Wang is a top technician but also represents manual factory workers, who are China's most important
natural resource. Their en- ergy is powering China's economic boom, and their muscle is turning the wheel of
the world's factory.
     But does their unskilled labor give their life meaning? At school, did they tell their friends:" When I grow up
I want to work in a factory making socks?" Did you?
     Factory work has always been a stepping-stone from farm life to the city and a modern life. It's been
happening for centuries, but today, with our space-age technology, it's outdated. Earning 1,200 yuan,( $169)
per month working in a factory is better than that on a farm, but as Wang points out, it's not a dream career.
There should be better ways to earn your rice.
     Many modern factories no longer have production line workers. Robots do the assembly (裝配). People
just do the monitoring. In this age of technology, in which China is now working smarter and not just harder,
why are people still standing in production lines?
     But life is cheap in China. So why not continue to make use of the low-cost labor situation and keep the
economy growing fast, some entrepreneurs may ask.
      But have these businessmen ever labored in a factory?
1. How many people surveyed really like to be factory workers?
A. One percent.
B. Only a small part.
C. Only a small part of that one percent.
D. The writer didn't mention it.
2. Which is NOT the writer's opinion of factory workers?
A. Cynical.
B. Unimportant.
C. Warmhearted.
D. Plain spoken.
3. The writer uses _____ to begin the passage.
A. a lot of figures
B. many examples
C. some dialogue
D. the result of a survey

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊(cè)答案